Chapter 6

Robin sat in the dining room, her eyes fixed on the angry waves crashing against the ship"s windows. A storm had been brewing for the last two days, a constant threat looming on the horizon as they all went about their business.

They'd managed to get through another island visit yesterday without catching the rain, but now the storm had arrived and it was angry. The ship swayed constantly, and the other passengers exchanged worried glances as they tried to maintain their balance on the way back and forth from the buffet.

Scarlet was looking a little green, sipping on tea with honey rather than her usual coffee, and she'd decided not to try food. Robin was lucky she seemed to have a stronger stomach than a lot of the others. Many hadn't even bothered to come to breakfast, or dinner last night, staying in their cabins instead.

Captain Russo came into the dining room, a plastered-on smile on her face. "Hi, everyone. I just wanted to come by and check on you, reassure you that everything is under control."

"Well, that's the least reassuring thing she could have said," Scarlet muttered under her breath.

"Whatever you do, don't think of The Poseidon Adventure," a short-haired blonde named Reese teased from across the table.

Her girlfriend, Lena, smacked her arm. "Don't be a jerk… use less obscure references."

"Titanic," Reese amended with a chuckle.

Robin gave them an unamused look as the captain went on. "I've weathered storms like this before and I can assure you our ship is built to withstand a lot worse. We may be uncomfortable until it passes, and we're going to have to reschedule today's excursion to San Cristobal. I'll keep you all informed."

She left, and a crack of lightning lit up the dim morning sky.

"Should we make a run for our cabin before it starts pouring?" Lena asked Reese.

"I'd rather be with people than locked in a room by ourselves," Reese said. "I wanna know what's going on."

There was another crack, and then the patter of rain on the deck outside became a torrent. The usual breakfast window had closed about an hour ago, and everyone still in the dining room had come to the same conclusion –that it was safer to be here together than to brave the storm back to their rooms. The crew tried to keep them occupied with extra snacks and they brought out board and card games, but nobody was in the mood to play.

"Did anyone know there was a storm coming?" Amelia, a doctor from Fox City who was also seated at their table, asked.

"It's the rainy season," Robin pointed out. "It was always a possibility.

"Who plans a cruise for the rainy season?" Amelia's wife, Simone, asked.

It was rhetorical and nobody answered, but Robin was thinking about that argument between Zoe and the captain again. Did the director plan this cruise during the rainy season to cut corners? What else had she done to save a buck?

"I'm going to get a pack of cards," Robin said, standing. "We can play war or old maids, something mindless to keep us busy."

She took one step toward the table where the crew had set out the games and the ship pitched violently to starboard.

"Robin!" Scarlet grabbed her arm and Robin stumbled, fighting for balance.

"I'm okay–"

As another wave hit, the ship swayed again and Robin clutched the table to stay upright. On the untouched buffet, dishes slid to the floor and smashed, and through the window, Robin saw a pair of the crew members running through the storm toward the bridge, life vests on.

"That can't be good," Robin said.

The waves were growing bigger by the minute, lightning streaking across the sky at quicker intervals.

"What do we do?" Scarlet asked, wrapping her arms around Robin.

Before she had a chance to respond, the speakers in the ceiling screeched to life. "This is your captain speaking. For your safety, we're asking all guests to return to your cabins at this time. The crew will assist you in navigating the ship during these turbulent conditions."

Everyone in the dining room looked to the two women in cruise ship polos, the only two in the room. They were trying to keep their footing and clean up the broken plates, and now they looked at the group with big, lost eyes.

They didn't know what to do any more than the passengers.

Shit, Robin said, a bad feeling settling in her gut.

She stood up, her legs as shaky as they'd been on day one as the ship continued to rock back and forth. "Come on. We'll go in groups, help each other out."

She offered Scarlet her arm, and Lena, Reese, Amelia and Simone linked up with them. The six of them felt a little more stable moving together than Robin did on her two feet alone, and they made their way slowly out of the dining room.

They had to cross the deck, which was slick with a surprising amount of water, and they were all soaked by the time they got back inside in the corridor where the cabins were. It was U-shaped, with guest cabins on the two long ends and crew quarters along the bottom of the U.

"Where are your rooms?" Robin asked.

"Number four," Lena said.

"And we're six," Simone added with a nod. "That way."

The six of them walked carefully up the corridor, swaying along with the ship, using the walls to keep their balance. It was like being severely drunk, and Robin was starting to regret the acidic coffee sloshing in her belly.

They got to eight and ten and dropped the other women off safely. Then Scarlet looked regretfully down the corridor. Scarlet was in one of the first guest rooms on the other side of the U –Robin knew because she'd picked her up there last night for a midnight swim in the deck pool.

It was a long way to drunk-walk, and on top of that, Robin hated the idea of dropping Scarlet off to be alone.

Hated even more the idea of being alone in her own cabin. The storm seemed to be growing stronger by the minute, and a creeping fear was trickling down Robin's spine about it.

"Why don't you stay with me?" she suggested. "I'm in nine."

Scarlet looked relieved and she gave Robin's hand a squeeze. "It's gonna be okay. This is just a storm, it'll pass." For a moment, Robin was crestfallen, thinking that meant Scarlet didn't want to share a cabin for the duration. But then Scarlet took the lead, guiding them to cabin nine. "Come on, let's sit down before we fall down."

Robin swiped into the room and closed the door behind them, muting the storm. She let out a huge sigh. "That's better."

Scarlet gathered her hair over her shoulder, wringing it out. A surprising amount of water streamed onto the carpet and she laughed. "Can I borrow a towel?"

Robin went into the bathroom and got her one, grabbing one for herself too.

They dried off and draped their towels over the back of the desk chair. The ship continued to sway, forcing their feet wide to keep their balance, and Robin put one hand on the wall, hoping it still looked at least halfway suave and not just like she was struggling to stay on her feet.

"So, what do we do now?"

Scarlet looked up at her from rain-drenched lashes. "Hmm, trapped in a cabin with a wicked storm raging outside… I can think of one thing. If you want."

"Parcheesi?"

Scarlet laughed, the first easy one Robin heard since the lightning and thunder began.

"On second thought, I have a better idea." She put her hands on Scarlet's hips, drawing her closer. "I need to get you out of these wet clothes so you don't get sick."

"I like that idea."

Robin drew her toward the bed, lifting Scarlet's drenched t-shirt over her head. It fell to the floor with a wet splat and Robin drank in the swell of Scarlet's breasts in a cute little black pushup bra. Scarlet was working her fingers down the buttons of Robin's intentionally obnoxious Hawaiian shirt when the ship pitched again, lucky for them in the direction of the bed.

They fell onto it, a tangle of limbs and damp hair and wet clothes, not caring one bit for the storm as they devoured each other.

Bzzt.

Something vibrated between them and Scarlet pulled her phone out of her pocket, tossing it onto the dresser. She pushed Robin's shirt down her shoulders and tossed it aside.

Bzzt.

The phone was louder when it went off again against the wood surface.

"Do you need to get that?"

"No," Scarlet breathed, hands cupping Robin's face and pulling her in.

It started to ring and Scarlet rolled her eyes.

"You sure?"

"One second," Scarlet apologized, reaching for it. "Hello?"

Robin sat back on her heels, catching her breath and admiring Scarlet's body sprawled across her bed while she listened to Scarlet's side of the conversation. There wasn't much to it, a few oh nos and are you sures, and then she hung up with a regretful look on her face. Robin already knew where this was going.

"That was Jess. Her wife, Dana, is super seasick," she said. "Robin, I'm so sorry, but I need to go check in on them. Jess is on the verge of a panic attack about it."

"Do you want me to come?"

Scarlet was already out of bed, struggling to peel her wet t-shirt back over herself. "I better go by myself. Dana doesn't know you too well and she's kind of a private person… I don't know if she's going to want to hork in front of a stranger. I'll be right back, okay?"

Robin nodded. "No problem. Go be with your people."

"I'm sorry." Scarlet leaned in and kissed her again, only making Robin feel her impending absence more acutely.

"Just be safe."

"I will, I'm only going down the hall. Jess and Dana are in the room right next to mine."

Scarlet opened the door and Robin stepped into the hall to watch her stagger down it. There was no one else out here right now, but the ship was still swaying far more than was comfortable and she could hear the storm raging outside. Scarlet turned back and waved to Robin just before she disappeared around the turn in the corridor.

With a sinking feeling, Robin retreated into her own room.

Realized she was topless except for her bra. Went to her suitcase and grabbed a fresh t-shirt.

Then plopped down on the bed.

It already smelled like Scarlet's citrusy shampoo, even after just a few minutes, and Robin's heart twisted in her chest. This was why you didn't want to be single on a couples' cruise. Because when push came to shove, you were all alone while everyone around you had somebody.

Or maybe that was just what happened when she allowed herself to pretend she had someone, that she wasn't alone.

It wasn't real, it would end as soon as they docked state-side again. But every time Scarlet was by her side, it felt real.

Robin lay in bed for a while, waiting for Scarlet to come back. Listening to the rain pelt her porthole window. Getting more and more anxious about all the ship sounds she could make out among the noises of the storm. Creaking. Groaning. Metallic whining.

Those were normal sounds and she just wasn't usually paying attention to them, right?

Robin spent maybe ten minutes trying to convince herself that was true before she felt so claustrophobic in her room that she decided she couldn't stand being alone one more second. Scarlet didn't want Dana to feel self-conscious with Robin there, and that was fair. Robin didn't like being watched while she puked either.

But maybe Lena and Reese, or Amelia and Simone, would like some company. They were only a couple doors down, and what was the worst they could do, say no?

She went into the corridor once again, immediately falling against the opposite wall and stinging her palms as she reached out to catch herself.

The storm was getting worse, there was no denying it.

She had to struggle to get back to her side of the hall to close her door, and fight for every step she took. It was a good thing she was only going a few doors up because there was no way she'd make it all the way down and across the U to Scarlet.

She was just passing room eight when the door to the deck burst open and rain and sea water came pouring in, along with two crew members Robin recognized. Alicia and Marnie, the ones who'd been running up the deck toward the bridge.

"What are you doing out here?" Alicia asked, alarmed.

"Going to a friend's room."

"You need to return to your cabin," Alicia said, the two of them fighting their way up the hall toward her. "It's not safe to be wandering the ship right now."

Robin pointed to the life vests they were wearing. "Should I have mine on?"

"It'll be okay," Marnie tried to reassure her. "The captain just wanted us to wear them while we were on deck. Go back to your room."

They weren't going to let her continue on her way. Annoyed and scared and full of adrenaline, Robin turned around and walked with them until she was back at her door. She swiped in and opened it, practically throwing herself into her cabin as the ship swayed in the opposite direction.

Before she fought against gravity to shut her door, she heard the two of them talking as they continued down the hall. Marnie said, "Do you think it's true about the life boats?"

Another wave of fear shot through Robin's gut.

"God, I hope not," Alicia answered. "If we have to evacuate…"

Shit, seriously? Evacuate, it was that bad? Robin's mind was racing and she let the motion of the ship deposit her on her bed, then pulled herself up to look out the porthole. Lightning continued to crack across the sky and she could make out waves, but not well –the sky and the sea were all the same turbulent, angry gray.

Was this storm going to capsize them?

It was a small ship, and the waves were getting big.

Was that even a possibility, or was she just letting her imagination run wild?

But what Captain Russo had said to Zoe about cutting corners… all of it soured Robin's stomach and regardless of what the crew told her, she wasn't staying alone in her room a minute longer.

She fought her way back to the hallway, turning left instead of right this time. She was going to find Scarlet, Dana's privacy be damned. If something bad was about to happen, she couldn't stand the idea of being alone for it.

And if it turned out she was panicking over nothing, she'd apologize to Jess and Dana and they could all laugh about it over mojitos by the pool tomorrow.